Collapsible clothes drier



Feb. 15, 1955 H. L. STRONGSON 2,701,921

COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31. 1952 3 INVENTOR.

HERMAN L. STRONGSON ATTORNEY Feb. 15, 1955 H. L. STRONGSON 2,701,921

COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRIER Filed March 31, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iii? IN V EN TOR.

HERMAN L. STRONGSON United States Patent 2,701,921 COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRIER Her-nun L. Strongson, Denver, Colo., usignor to Consolidated General Products, Inc., Houston, Tex., a corpontlon of Texas Application March 31, 1952, Serial No. 279,649 16 Claims. (Cl. 34-151) This invention relates to improvements in clothes dryers and has reference more particularly to .a collapsible clothes dryer intended for use in residences and apartments.

Washing machines are now quite common and are of such sizes and design that they can be used and stored in small apartments and residences.

In many places where washing machines may be used there is no space available for clothes lines on which the clothes can be supported for drying.

In many residences and apartments where washing machines are not used the washing is done by hand, but it is frequently the case that there are no convenient places where the clothes can be dried.

There are on the market today clothes dryers of various kinds which, however, in addition to their high first cost are of such size that they cannot be used in small apartments.

It is the object of this invention to produce a clothes dryer of such design and construction that it can be retailed at a price within the reach of people of moderate means.

Another object is to produce a clothes dryer that can be collapsed when not in use and which may be stored in small closets or under the bed so as not to take up badly needed space.

A further object is to produce a dryer with a collapsible supporting frame so that it can be used in any room where electric current is available for operating the heater elements.

A still further object is to produce a collapsible clothes dryer of such construction that it can be suspended from any available overhead support and successfully used without a special supporting frame.

The above and any other objects that may become apparent as the description proceeds are attained by means of a construction and arrangement of parts that will now be described in detail for which purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawing on which the invention has been illustrated and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the dryer in position for use, certain parts being shown broken away to better disclose the construction;

Figure 2 is a vertical diametrical section taken on line 2-2 Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a Fi ure 1;

igure 4 is an elevational view showing the dryer in collapsed position for storage in a small space;

Figure 5 is a view partly in diametrical section and partly in elevation showing a slightly modified form of construction;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 77 Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary diametrical section of the bottom, similar to the section shown in Figure 5 but to a larger scale, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view showing a detail.

Referring now to the drawing reference numeral 10 designates the floor on which the dryer is supported. The dryer as illustrated consists of a bag 11 of woven or textile material such as cotton canvas. It may be made of other material than cotton such as rayon, nylon or wool, but cotton is believed to be the best suitedfor the purpose. The bag is preferably of circular cross section and has been so shown but it may be square or oblong as the bottom plan view looking upwardly in cross sectional shape is immaterial. The bag is provided with a top 12 and bottom 13 of the same material as the side wall and the end walls are provided with a number of openings 14 which are surrounded by grommets of the type used with canvas tents and the like. Within the bag, directly beneath the top 12 and directly above the bottom 13 are spreader elements 15 which in the embodiment shown, are woven from large metal wires forming an open or reticulated screenlike member of sufficient strength to hold the bag in its desired cross sectional shape. Aluminum or some light aluminum alloy is preferred for the spreader element as that material is quite light. The top spreader is preferably woven as indicated but the lowermost spreader element may be replaced by a ring if desired. A reticulated guard and su port member 16 is positioned a short distance above e bottom and has its edges secured to the bag by suitable means. Suspended from member 16 by short lengths of chain 17 is a support 18 to the upper surface of which an electric heater element 19 is attached.

A support element 20, preferably a loop of cotton webbing, has its ends secured to spreader element 15 and serves to support the bag from any elevated support such as a nail or hook secured to the ceiling or joist. A door flap 21 is cut from the wall of the bag and the edges of the bag and the door flap are provided with cooperating slide fastener elements such as are used in the well known zippers now extensively used. Any suitable means may be used to hold the door flap in closed position, even buttons-and button holes but zipper type slide fasteners are preferred.

Suitable means is provided for suspending the wet or moist clothes in the space above guard 16 and for this purpose a number of spring type clothes pins 22 may be suspended from the upper spreader elemmt 15 by short chains 23. The heater element is provided with an electrical conductor 24 by means of which it may be connected with any convenient electric outlet.

Where the supporting frame shown in thedruwing is not used, the dryer that has been described above, is suspended from an overhead hook or other sufport. The clothes are inserted through the door, flap 2 being held in door open position by snap or glove fasteners 25 or 25a. After the clothes are properly positioned the electric heater element is connected with the current supply and as it warms up the heated air will start flowing upwardly, the greater part of the air emerging through the grommet openings 14 in the top of the bag. Some of the air will pass through the side of the bag as the material permits air to flow through it. The draft due to the heating of the air produces sufficient circulation but if a more rapid flow is desired a small fan 26 may be added and operated for this purpose.

It has been found that the-air flowing at a moderate rate leaves through the fabric wall of t e bag and also through the top at a speed that permits it to absorb moisture at a fast rate with the result that the clothes dry very fast.

When the clothes are dry the electric heater is disconnected, the door opened and the clothes removed.

If no further use is found for the dryer at that time it is disconnected from its support and collapsed to the position shown in Figure 4 and secured in that position by straps and buckles 27 and 28. Where there is no convenient way of suspending the dryer, as in a modern apartment where it would be objectionable to position a hook in the ceiling, a frame like that shown in the drawing and which will now be described, is provided.

The frame, as shown, consists of a four armed base the arms of which have been designated by numeral 29. The base may be of wood or metal and the arms are preferably in the same plane. Each arm is provided with a caster 30. One of the arms is longer than the other and carries an upwardly extending pin 31, which also serves as a handle when the dryer is folded. The bottom of the bag rests on the base and is attached to it by means of four bolts 32.

An aluminum pipe 33, or a wood bar, is positioned over the pin 31 as shown in Figure 1. An arm 34 is connected to the upper end of pipe 33 by a huge 35 that per- Patented Feb. 15, 1955 mits it to be moved from the full line to the broken line position. The bag is supported from arm 34 by support member 20. Since 33 and 34 may be removed and folded and since the bag can be collapsed onto the base as shown in Figure 4 the dryer with the base attached can be collapsed into about as small a space as if it did not have the base.

In Figures 5 to 8 inclusive a slightly modified form of construction has been shown the differences being confined in particular to the manner in which the electric heater is supported, the' position and arrangement of the guard; the construction of the base and the means by which the clothes are suspended.

The parts that are identical with those shown in Figures 1 to 4 have been designated by the same reference numerals.

Instead of a base having four arms, as shown in Figure 3 the base is formed with three arms 29a spaced 120 degrees as shown in Figure 6. The base is preferably cast from some suitable light weight alloy and instead of being provided with casters the three arms have glider knobs 30a cast integral therewith. Pin 31 is also cast and forms an integral part of the base. The rod that supports arm 34 is formed of two parts 33 and 33a the same as shown in Figure l. The electric heater 19 and the ventilating motor 26 are supported directly from the bottom expanding member 15. The guard 16 shown in Figures 1 and 2 has been replaced by a wire screen 35 of inverted truncated conical shape provided with a downwardly convex spherical top 36. The heater element is supported by suitable means from the guard. The ventilating motor 26 is positioned directly underneath the heater element. Top 36 serves to deflect the heated air outwardly in the direction of the arrows shown in Figures 5 and 8 and this results in a uniform distribution of the heated air. The clothes are suspended by means of ordinary spring clothes pins 37 which proiect through the grommets 14 in the top 12. In order to facilitate the introduction of the clothes and their removal the bag has been provided with two door flaps 21 which are positioned at diametrical points, and as a result one half of the bag can be filled from each side thereby removing the necessity of stretching across the entire diameter of the bag. The modified form can be collapsed in the manner already explained and can be suspended from any suitable support. Since supporting means comprising rod 33, 33a and arm 34 are provided it is reasonable to suppose that the dryer will be used in the manner illustrated.

It is to be understood applicant does not intend to be limited to the specific elements shown and described but expects to select and substitute any mechanically equivalent elements that may deem more suitable.

In the above part of the specification attention was called to the fact that cotton canvas of all the materials tried was the most satisfactory. Cotton has great moisture absorbent qualities and it was found that other things being equal the time necessary to dry clothes was shorter when cotton was used as the material for the bag. Other textile materials although they permitted moist air to pass outwardly through the wall had no appreciable effect on the humidity of the remaining air whereas cotton seems to attract moisture from the air body that remains in the bag. Since the air currents are turbulent the greater amount of the air remaining in the bag comes into contact with the cotton bag and transfers much of its moisture to it. Although it is considered the better practice to make the top and the botom as well as the bag of the same moisture absorbent material this is not necessary because the air as it enters is quite dry and when it leaves through the top its humidity has no effect on the drying operation in the bag. Since the top and the bottom are provided with grommeted openings most all of the air passes through those openings.

Although an absorbent textile material such as cotton canvas has been found to be superior to other materials tested some results are naturally obtained with other materials such as certain plastics and applicant considers that his invention is not limited to the specific material employed in his combination.

The important characteristic of the material used in the construction of the bag is that it must be flexible so that the bag can be collapsed to reduce its size for storage as shown in Fig. 4. Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A clothes drier comprising in combination, an elongated bag of textile material adapted to be suspended in vertical position, both ends being closed by foraminated members of similar material, an expanding member positioned adjacent the top end closure with its edge attached to the bag, another expanding member positioned in the bag near its lower end, means carried by the upper end of the bag for suspending clothes therein, an electric heating element positioned in the bag near its lower end, a guard extending over the top of the heating element, the side wall of the bag having at least one door flap, means for holding the door flap in door closing position, and means operatively associated with the top of the bag for suspending it from an overhead support.

2. A clothes drier in accordance with claim 1 in which the top of the guard is formed by a s herical plate positioned with its convex surface on the ower side, forming a deflecting member.

3. A clothes drier in accordance with claim 1 in which the electric heater element and the guard are supported from the bottom of the bag.

4. A clothes drier in accordance with claim 1 in which the bottom of the bag is attached directly to a base having a plurality of radiatin arms, one of said arms having formed integral therewit an upwardly projecting pin forming a handle, a rod having its lower end telescopical- 1y connected with the pin, the upper end of the rod having an arm extending laterally therefrom in the direction of the center of the bag forming a support for the bag.

5. A clothes drier in accordance with claim 4 in which the base has three radiating arms each of which has its under side formed with ider knobs.

6. A drier in accor ance with claim 4 in which the rod is formed from at least two detachable members and in which the arm is attached thereto by means comprising a hinge so related to the parts that it permits the arm to swing through an angle of 270 degrees.

7. A clothes dryer comprising in combination, a base, an elongated bag of textile material means comprising a support member having its lower end attached to the base and its u per end operatively connected with the upper end of t e bag for suspending the bag therefrom. the ends of the bag being closed by similar foraminated members, means at the top and at the bottom of the bag for holding it in expanded position, a heater element positioned in the bag a short distance above its bottom, means suspended from the top of the bag accessible from the interior of the bag for supporting clothes in the space between the top and the heating element, the side wall of the bag having at least one door flap of oblong shape cut from the material of the bag along its top, bottom and side, and fastening means for holding the flap in door closing position.

8. A drier in accordance with claim 7 in which the bag is closed both at the top and the bottom by textile ends having a number of grommeted openings and in which the expanding members are formed from reticulated metal.

9. A device in accordance with claim 8 in which there is a metal guard positioned above the heating element to prevent cloth suspended from the top from coming in contact with the heater.

10. A dryer in accordance with claim 9 in which the bag is formed from cotton canvas and in which the top and bottom are foraminated.

11. A self-contained collapsible clothes dryer comprising in combination, a supporting base comprising at least 3 radiating arms, adapted to rest on a floor, a rod having its lower end removably attached to the top of the base arms at a point spaced from the center thereof, the upper end of the rod having an arm extending inwardly across the center of the base, a canvas bag having reticulated expanding member at each end, the upper member having means for suspending the bag from the arm, means attaching the lowermost reticulated member to the supporting base, the bag having a portion cut along three sides forming a door like flap, fastener means for holding the flap in closed position, and at least one electric heating element within the bag supported from the bag at a point below the lower end of the door lap.

12. A dryer in accordance with claim 11 in which I reticulated guard member is supported from the bag at a point between the door opening and the heater element to prevent clothes from coming in contact with the heater element.

13. A self-contained collapsible clothes dryer in accordance with claim 11 in which the bag has foraminated canvas end closures positioned outside of the reticulated frames.

14. A dryer in accordance with claim 11 in which there is a reticulated metal guard attached at its edges to the wall of the bag at a point between the door opening and the lower expanding member and in which the heater support is suspended from said guard member by flexible suspension means.

15. A collapsible clothes drier comprising in combination, a base, an elongated bag of flexible material means comprising an extensible support member, attached at its lower end to the base and at its upper end with the top of the bag for suspending it in vertical position, the upper end being closed by a foraminated member, ex andrng members of the same size and cross sectional s ape of the bag, positioned in the bag adjacent its ends, for maintaining the bag in expanded position, means attached to the upper end closure for suspending clothes in the bag, an electric heater positioned in the bag adjacent its lower end and a guard member above the heater to prevent clothes from coming into contact with the heater, the heater and guard bein supported by the base, the bag having at least one door ap of vertically elongated oblong shape through which access may be had to that art of the bag above the heater, the bag being collaps- 1ble when its top is disconnected from the extensible support member.

16. A clothes drier in accordance with claim 15 in whiclh the bag has a bottom closure of foraminated materia 1 References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,482,624 Shampay Feb. 5, 1924 1,833,631 Wilsey Nov. 24, 1931 2,156,784 Jensen May 2, 1939 2,261,361 Gerhardt et a1. Nov. 4, 1941 2,349,043 Hyland May 16, 1944 2,594,569 Levitt Apr. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,181 Great Britain A. D. 1878 

